The Question: I moved here from Colombia a few years ago and I do have a green card. I've been snowboarding for the past couple of years and I love it. I am calling to see if you have any openings at your area?

For this edition of Mountain Spy, our 007 Liz Eren teamed up with SAM part-timer, Astrid Ramirez-Jacobs. Armed with a phone and a great Spanish accent, Astrid hit the lines to try and gauge how areas handle HR and how welcoming they are to diversity. As always, we called a geographic mix of ski areas, as well as a mix of small, medium and large areas. Astrid rated her experiences on a scale from one to ten with some commentary.

Mountain 1: Vermont, Large Area
First contact: Automated machine, 3 choices, none were HR, chose reservations
Answering phone: Young girl
SAM: Stated question
Staff: OK, let me transfer you to someone that can help you with that.
Hold time: 10 seconds
SAM: Restated question
Staff: We actually go through a company called IWS which is International Work Solutions. If you want to give them a call. Let me get their number for you.
SAM: OK, thanks.
Staff: Do you have an H2B?
SAM: No, I’m a legal resident.
Staff: What kind of visa do you have?
SAM: No, I don’t need a visa, I’m a legal citizen.
Staff: Where are you from?
SAM: I live in Massachusetts. I’m looking for a winter job because I know this is the time of year that you usually start to hire people.
Staff: Well, we don’t have any housing or insurance here, though, so you might not like it. I would probably suggest XX ski area or XX area. I would check there…OK?
SAM: OK.
Staff: OK then, thanks a lot.

Rating: 2
Comment: First, she assumed I needed to go through an international program even though I stated at the beginning that I am a legal resident. And even after I restated that fact, she clearly had her doubts. In HR, the person answering the phone should, minimally, understand what a legal resident is. And punting me down the road to two other ski areas? I am utterly baffled.



Mountain 2: California, Day Area
First contact: Automated machine, chose operator
Answering phone: Woman. Very receptive and friendly
SAM: Stated question
Staff: Well yes, we’ll definitely have openings for snowboard instructors…
SAM: Well, I’m actually not that good. I love it, though, so I’m looking for any job at the mountain.
Staff: OK, let’s see, do you have a social security number?
SAM: Yes I do.
Staff: Oh perfect, so you’re completely legal to work in the United States on your own.
SAM: Definitely.
Staff: OK, well we’re going to have a job fair on xx and then another one on xx. Where do you live?
SAM: I live in L.A.
Staff: Oh, OK, that’s great. Then the best thing you could do is come up to one of our job fairs and that way you can meet all of the department advisors and find out which one would work best for you.
SAM: OK, thanks a lot.
Staff: No problem.

Rating: 8
Comment: Though not a ball of energy, she got to the bottom of my legal status in a simple way and then pointed me in the right direction, and even added an explanation of why it’s good to attend the job fairs. Almost perfect.



Mountain 3: Montana, Large Area
First contact: Automated machine, chose operator option, transferred to HR
Answering phone: Woman, great mood
SAM: Stated question
Staff: Um, are you looking for an opening right now or were you looking for the winter?
SAM: I am looking for the winter.
Staff: Um, ahh, we’ll have a ton of openings for the winter and they all will be on the website in about three weeks. So check and see which one you’ll like and then you can fill out an application and we’ll give you a call.
SAM: Oh great, thanks (waiting for a website. . .nope). What’s the website I can visit?
Staff: Oh, it’s xxx.com.
SAM: OK, thanks so much.
Staff: Oh you’re welcome, thanks for calling.

Rating: 8.5
Comment: VERY nice and led me through the process so I could be prepared for the time when they do start hiring. Minus points for the website omission, but grade A for attitude.



Mountain 4: Maine, Small Area
First contact: Automated machine, chose operator option
Answering phone: Woman, quick to answer
SAM: Stated question
Staff: Well, we already have eight from Argentina to teach skiing. (And that affects me how?)
SAM: Oh, well I don’t mind other jobs besides teaching…
Staff: Nope, that’s pretty much all we need. Thank you though for calling.
SAM: OK, well thank you.
Staff: You’re welcome, good luck.

Rating: 2
Comment: OK, perhaps they only have a quota of eight people with accents? Do they not want any individual interest for a job? At least she wished me luck.



Mountain 5: Medium Area, Michigan
First contact: Real person! Woman, quick to answer though
SAM: Stated question
Staff: Oh no, we don’t right now. We don’t hire until the winter.
SAM: Oh OK... (cut off)
Staff: OK, bye.

Rating: 0
Comment: Not only will I not call back there for a job, I will never visit as their guest. Unless there was a fire raging at her door, there was no need for practically hanging up on me.



Mountain 6: Medium Area, New York
First contact: Automated machine, chose operator and administration services.
Answering phone: Woman, nice
SAM: Stated question
Staff: Umm, I’m not sure. One moment. (Woman holds the phone away, but still close enough that I can clearly hear her, and repeats the question to her colleague. However, she changes my question and gets all the details wrong.)
Staff: OK, um, you’ll have to come through the agency that we work with, OK?
SAM: Well, how come? I’m a legal resident so I don’t need a sponsor or any visa.
Staff: Um OK, let me send you over to Paula.
Transferred to accounts payable. Answering machine.

Rating: 3
Comment: She tried to help out the best she could by asking another person, but she did not repeat the question correctly and didn’t try to understand it any better. Unfortunately, just not enough effort. And the transfer to accounts payable? I hung up thoroughly confused.



Mountain 7: Medium Area, Minnesota
First contact: Young woman, very nice
SAM: Stated question
Staff: There could be, I’m not sure if we have any right at the moment… are you looking for full time?
SAM: Yes I am, for the winter.
Staff: Oh OK, well then you can just send in an application by going online at xxx.com and it’ll give you a full listing of what’s available for the winter.
SAM: OK, thank you.
Staff: Oh, you’re welcome, thank you.

Rating: 7
Comment: Super polite. Got to the point without rushing. She told me the basics of exactly what I needed to get started. Solid effort.



Mountain 8: Colorado, Large Area
First contact: Automated machine on automated caffeine. Spoke WAY TOO FAST, chose operator
Answering phone: Woman, also having recently enjoyed an energy drink
SAM: Stated question
Staff: Um, hold on, let me transfer you to the right person.
Answering phone: Enthusiastic sounding woman
SAM: Restated question
Staff: Um, to teach snowboarding or skiing?
SAM: Um, not particularly. I’m not that good but I love it. I’m looking for any type of job at the mountain, really, so if you have any openings at all.
Staff: Absolutely, you said you have a green card?
SAM: Yes, I do.
Staff: Well great. I have jobs working inside with children. I also have jobs as cooks for the children. Things of that sort. Where do you live?
SAM: I live in Denver.
Staff: OK perfect. Well If you go to our website. . .if you go to xxx.com. Let me check for you quick first if we have that posting available. Are you looking for full- or part-time work?
SAM: I was looking for full-time during the winter.
Staff: OK, that’s good. OK I got it. So if you go to xxx.com and go to the very bottom and click on jobs—it says “get a job.” Haha sort of an interesting way of putting it, don’t you think? (So excited, such a nice change.) And then it’ll ask you what job type and then it’ll say management or ski school. It says that we have available. . .hmmm It says we have childcare attendants, etc. and what you can do is click on any of those and you can apply online. And then you can put my name on the listing—my name is Jane Smith. What is your name?
SAM: Gave her a name
Staff: OK great, I’m looking forward to seeing your application. So glad that you called!

Rating: 10
Comment: Extremely pumped that I was calling and asking for a job—someone finally cares! Talked me through where to go on the website—even better. She made it feel personal, which is a huge deal! If I didn’t have this job, I might consider moving west...

Identity Revealed: Winter Park